Objective: Helicobacter pylori infection is mostly a family-based infectious disease. To facilitate its prevention and management, a national consensus meeting was held to review current evidence and propose strategies for population-wide and family-based H. pylori infection control and management to reduce the related disease burden. Methods: Fifty-seven experts from 41 major universities and institutions in 20 provinces/regions of mainland China were invited to review evidence and modify statements using Delphi process and grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation system. The consensus level was defined as ≥80% for agreement on the proposed statements. Results: Experts discussed and modified the original 23 statements on family-based H. pylori infection transmission, control and management, and reached consensus on 16 statements. The final report consists of three parts: (1) H. pylori infection and transmission among family members, (2) prevention and management of H. pylori infection in children and elderly people within households, and (3) strategies for prevention and management of H. pylori infection for family members. In addition to the ‘test-and-treat’ and ‘screen-and-treat’ strategies, this consensus also introduced a novel third ‘family-based H. pylori infection control and management’ strategy to prevent its intrafamilial transmission and development of related diseases. Conclusion: H. pylori is transmissible from person to person, and among family members. A family-based H. pylori prevention and eradication strategy would be a suitable approach to prevent its intra-familial transmission and related diseases. The notion and practice would be beneficial not only for Chinese residents but also valuable as a reference for other highly infected areas.

POEMS syndrome is a rare, serious, multisystem disorder and its diagnosis is frequently missed due to its varied clinical presentation. We report here, a 69-year-old woman with initial complaints of distended abdomen, who was misdiagnosed with tuberculosis but failed anti-tuberculosis treatment. Further examinations showed peripheral neuropathy, monoclonal plasma cell disease, sclerotic bone lesions, an elevated serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentration, lymph node hyperplasia, endocrine abnormalities, and skin hyperpigmentation. A diagnosis of POEMS syndrome was made and the patient responded to lenalidomide-based chemotherapy.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a complex malignancy with poorly understood molecular mechanisms, necessitating the identification of genetic markers. Although Ubiquitin domain-containing protein 1 (UBTD1) has received significant attention in the study of human cancers, its specific role in CRC is yet to be fully clarified. This study sought to examine how UBTD1 expression was associated with various clinical and pathological characteristics of CRC, and to determine its prognostic significance and biological function, utilizing data from clinical samples and large-scale databases. Notably, UBTD1 expression was found to be upregulated in CRC, resulting in decreased survival rates and unfavorable clinical characteristics such as advanced T, N, and pathological stages. The findings of the multivariate Cox regression analysis illustrated that UBTD1 expression upregulation is a significant independent marker of unfavorable outcomes in CRC patients. An examination of the functional enrichment of UBTD1 and the genes it co-expresses indicated that it could serve as an oncogene by modulating the expression of genes implicated in crucial tumorigenesis pathways and functions. Additionally, immune cell infiltration analysis suggested a link between UBTD1 levels and various immune cells, particularly macrophages. In conclusion, the use of UBTD1 as a biomarker for both the prognosis and diagnosis of CRC has promising prospects for further investigation and therapeutic approaches.

目的: 比较粪便钙卫蛋白、便潜血试验及血清CEA在结直肠癌诊断中的应用价值. 方法: 研究组共纳入肠镜证实的87例结直肠癌初诊患者, 对照组60例接受肠镜检查的健康成人. 所有研究对象在接受肠镜检查时留取大便标本, 检测便潜血及粪便钙卫蛋白, 肠镜检查后抽取静脉血4 mL, 用于检测血清CEA. 随访患者手术记录及手术病理. 结果: 粪便钙卫蛋白、便潜血试验及血清CEA诊断结直肠癌的敏感性分别为88.51%、83.91%和44.83%, 特异性分别为88.33%、96.67%和93.33%. Dukes分期为A和B期患者便潜血试验及血清CEA的阳性率明显低于C和D期患者(P = 0.0173, 0.0059), Dukes不同分期的患者中, 粪便钙卫蛋白的阳性率无明显差异; 不同部位的结直肠癌与粪便钙卫蛋白、大便潜血试验及血清CEA的阳性率无显著差异; 钙卫蛋白联合应用FOBT或/和CEA检测结直肠癌可以一定限度地提高其敏感性, 但三种联合检测组合较单用粪便钙卫蛋白检测均无显著性差异. 结论: 粪便钙卫蛋白检测结直肠癌有较高的敏感性, 且不受肿瘤分期的影响, 可以作为门诊筛查结直肠癌的标志物.